Impact
by Mythicalnightguard
Summary: The first few nights after the Smithsonian were the hardest the two of them had ever faced. After nearly losing Jed, Octavius is a wreck. And after nearly dying, Jed is just as shaken. Can they work through this trauma together? Can they work through an event that has had such an impact on their lives?


This is a two-shot (potential three-shot) depicting the mainly unseen events between the miniatures after the hourglass incident. I know it has been done before by numerous authors, but I wanted to try my own hand at the scene, and add in some possible scenes that could have happened off camera. Please note that in no way am I trying to leech off of other writer's ideas, especially since the possibility of Jedediah's disrupted mental state is widely accepted as fact.

This story is meant to illustrate both his and Octavius' reactions, and more for fun than anything. If this story goes well, I may do a solo story with Octavius' adventure outside of the Smithsonian museum. Here's to hope! Please R&R! And enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the plot of this specific scene in NATM 2, nor do I own the pieces of dialogue that were originally the movie's. I will not point out specifically which is which, but any diehard fans should be able to pick it out. XD This is mainly a story to study the psychological affects of that one specific scene, which makes very little sense without those precious pieces of dialogue.

Lastly, although this story is in the third person, it is told mainly from Octavius' perspective. Keep that in mind, in case you wonder why the story seems to question or skip over obvious things. He is, after all, a Roman, and does not know as much as we moderners do. Therefore, things may be explained or described in a puzzling fashion. XD

*special shoutout to VibeQuake for recomending I write this*

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Octavius sat still, pressing himself as close to the squirrel's fur as he could. It would be a lie for him to say he was not afraid- he was, indeed, terrified. No man he had ever known had embarked on such a quest as he had. He had done more than any miniature had ever dreamed of doing in that night alone.

He had left the safety of his museum, venturing to another state, far beyond the safety of the walls. He had embarked on a journey all on his own, across green fields of tall grass, uncrossable roads, and miles upon miles of trek, with little sense of direction.

He had clung to the shadows, stayed out of the light. He had fought off and tamed a giant beast, even! It seemed there was nothing the little Roman general could not do that night.

But that was not the truth. Although he had been victorious in his ventures, it was not by luck, nor skill, nor sheer hope. Every breath, every stride, every encouraging thought circled around his need to save his dearest friend, who had been trapped earlier that night.

It was for Jedediah he fought on. For him that he traversed this unusual, modern landscape. For him, in the hopes of saving his life, that he fought harder than he ever had in any war he had ever partaken in.

He was so close to achieving his goal. So close, but, for a man so small...so far.

He had promised to bring help. And, as the night wore on, he realized he had not fulfilled that promise. He had tried going to the Big White House. It was only thanks to giant posters speaking of this man of power that he had been given this lead. But he had not reached the house, thanks to the squirrel he had ran into.

Come to think of it, he doubted if the man would have helped him at all. He was a giant; and like all the other modern giants, he would not have understood his need, or the magic that pulsed through him the way it did. Now that he thought about it, if he had walked into the house, that pinnacle of a nation's governmental power, he would never have walked out.

This thought had kept him from returning to the green lawn. Instead, he had taken on the squirrel. Taming it had been no easy feat; if he was to be honest, he was terrified that it would have killed him. But he had managed to tame it, and now he rode it as he desperately searched for someone, anyone, who could help him.

"Yah!" Octavius shouted, urging the squirrel on.

From what he could tell, he had been riding the beast for at least half an hour, his eyes scanning for anyone who could help him. Anyone who was not a living, breathing, modern human, of course. He could not risk getting himself caught.

He had been searching for a possible exhibit to help him. He knew the Tablet had brought more than just himself and his friends to life. Whilst running across the Mall, he had seen a large group of what looked like armored knights searching for someone. Thanks to the context of the situation, Octavius had deduced they were searching for Larry. That must be it. Whom else would they be searching for?

Octavius lifted his head as high as he dared, using one hand to still his helmet as it rattled in the breeze. Judging by the position of the stars, the night was almost over. He needed to find help. Now.

Suddenly, like an angel in the darkness, he spotted someone. A giant man- larger than Larry of any of the other giants, was perched on the steps of a very large building. He was leaning against a column, looking out over the Mall. The man had skin of marble, white but with a sheen of yellow from age.

It was easy for Octavius to discern that he was a statue of some sort. There were statues- smaller than the man, but of course larger than Octavius- in his own museum that came to life. Surely, the Tablet was the only thing that was bringing him to life. It that was the case, then the Tablet must have been passed near him. And if that was true….

Where was it now?

There was a chance, Octavius decided, that the Tablet's movement was being caused by Larry. If this was true, then there was a possibility that the giant white man had met the night guard, and would be swayed to help their cause.

It was a longshot, Octavius knew. But with the night drawing to an end, and no other help in sight, the man was his only chance.

Besides, Jedediah had asked for big help- help did not get much bigger than a metres-long statue man.

Hoping this man would provide the help he needed, Octavius urged the squirrel in his direction. Wise from past experiences with giants, he knew the importance of being stealthy and waiting for just the right moment to show himself. Most giants, even exhibits, were startled by their small size at first, and needed to be coaxed into the idea that, yes, they were talking to tiny men.

Keeping this in mind, he steered the squirrel over to the column nearest the giant statue. The squirrel, being a creature of advanced climbing skills, climbed the marble column with ease. He maneuvered it so that it was eye level with the giant statue, and he waited for the right moment to call out to him.

As the statue moved his head, Octavius opened his mouth and cried out with all his might.

The statue froze for a moment, tilting his head to the side. "What?" He said aloud, in a voice that was reminiscent of thunder.

Octavius winced and pressed his hands to his ears. "Excuse me!" He called out as loud as he could.

The statue man's spherical eyes gazed at the column, then picked out the furry little beast. He frowned. "What? A talking squirrel? Why, how odd is that!"

Octavius growled to himself and removed his hands, grasping the thin piece of thread he had used as reigns. He leaned himself off of the squirrel so he could become visible in the mess of fur.

"It is not the squirrel that speaks to you, my liege!" He called up.

The giant man leaned closer. Octavius felt the squirrel stiffen in fright, so he patted its head reassuringly. "Easy," He whispered gently. He raised his head to stare the giant in his eyes.

For not the first time that night, he felt a crushing sense of fear in his gut, twisting as he gazed at the sculpted face. The man did not seem aggressive, but his size was his most intimidating attribute.

But Octavius had to face him. He had to if he was to save Jedediah. He gulped nervously and tried to puff out his chest, make himself as regal as possible.

"I must ask you, giant white man, for your help." Octavius began, forcing himself to bury all his doubts, to make his tone as commanding as possible.

"Help?" The man asked with a frown. "I must say, it's quite difficult for me to concentrate on helping when you are so small."

Although the man had not said his comment in a derogative way, Octavius did feel slightly offended. But that did not matter right now.

"Sir, please," Octavius begged. "My good friend has been trapped by an evil warlord who wishes to take over the world. He will surely not survive if I do not rescue him before sunrise. Please, if you value this world, if you value humanity- if you value those who are facing times of need, will you help me?"

The giant marble man ran a finger down his chin, narrowing his eyes. "You are desperate, and desperation comes from a desperate time. Of course, I shall help you. I would not be protecting my people if I did not."

Octavus breathed a sigh of relief, urging the squirrel to leap upon the giant man's shoulder.

"Although...I do not remember Americans wearing such silly costumes." The giant said aloud.

"Oh, I am no American," Octavius answered quickly. "I am a Roman. But my friend is an American and he desperately needs your help. So please, if we could leave now…"

"Of course," The man stood to his full height, walking down the giant steps with ease. "Where am I taking you tonight?"

Octavius, perched upon the shoulder of the giant and still upon the squirrel, looked out over the Mall. The lights of every museum and building were illuminated, probably by its inhabitants or frightened night watchmen, and provided him with an easy overview.

"There," He said, pointing out the Smithsonian Castle, which that terrible Egyptian had made his headquarters. "My friend is being held in there."

"Hold on tight then, Roman," The giant man said, tilting his head to the side as if he were cracking his neck.

Octavius took a deep breath and huddled down against the squirrel as the giant man sprang forward, running with long strides across the national mall. The force of the wind pushing against Octavius and the squirrel caused him great concern, but after the first few moments, he decided they were safe enough.

To anyone on the ground, the sight must have been breathtaking to behold. The giant marble man shook the ground with every step, leaving heavy footprints in the grass and the dirt, and indentations on the asphalt roadways. As they drew closer and closer to the archives, Octavius was satisfied that this giant man was exactly the help he needed.

Skidding to a halt in front of the building, the giant man raised his hand to his shoulder to let Octavius and the squirrel down. Octavius rode across the last few feet of grass to the edge of the building. With a click and a small jab to its sides, the squirrel sprang up onto the brick walll and began to climb to the window.

The hole Octavius had escaped through was still there, and when he and the squirrel climbed through it, he froze.

The le

The cage Jedediah had been in lay discarded on the floor, empty of any cowboys. Octavius' heart began to race as he feared what might have happened to him. His eyes landed on the scene in the middle of the room, his breath catching in his throat.

He spotted Jedediah crammed into what appeared to be an hourglass, sand dangerously close to swallowing him. At the moment, he could see the sand was just below his shoulders, but had been higher only moments earlier. For a moment, he could see he was with Larry; but any reassurance he got from that was quickly lost when he watched Kahmunrah give his orders to the strange bird-headed men to kill.

This was even more serious than Octavius could have imagined. He had no idea leaving would have let this happen. Not only was Jedediah at stake now, but Larry, too, was relying on him and the giant man.

Filling his lungs with as much air as he could, Octavius and the squirrel plunged off the windowsill and charged across the marble floor. He gave as loud a battle cry as he could muster, hoping it was loud enough a signal for the giant man outside the window to hear.

If he could have had it his way, Octavius would have waited for the perfect moment to surprise the enemy. But there had been no time to spare. In the back of his mind, Octavius knew that if the giant man did not hear his cry, then he, along with Jedediah and Larry, would be killed.

But it was all he could.

The Egyptian and the bird-headed men looked up in surprise- the pharaoh in disappointment at being interrupted from his speech, to stare down at the small man and the squirrel.

Octavius skidded to a halt, stilling the squirrel as he glared up at the Egyptian pharaoh, less than a stride away from him. He risked a quick glance behind him, but there was still no giant man. He hid a gulp and raised his sword to point it at the Egyptian.

"Do you wish to surrender honourably?" He shouted the challenge with all the will he could muster. How he would back up his threat, well...he knew full well he could not. But something had to be done to stall until the giant appeared. "Or must this end with the spilling of your blood?"

The worst reaction to his words, Octavius had to admit, was not the way the Egyptian smirked in disbelief, as if his threats were nothing to him. Nor was it the disappointment in Larry's eyes at his efforts. No. The worst reaction was Jedediah, his eyes betraying a look of fear and...sadness. To Octavius, it was sadness that he had failed to save him in any effective manner.

Octavius licked his lips nervously, holding his ground. He had to. By the gods he had to! That giant had to come soon, he knew he did.

"This?" The Egyptian asked, smirking. " _This_ is your big rescue?"

The scorn in his voice was not as painful to Octavius as the thought that he had failed. He _had_ failed. No help would be coming to save them this night. He had let Jedediah down. He had let Larry, although he had not had any idea that he was in danger, down too. He had let them all down, and now, they were all going to die at the hands of the pharaoh.

The pharaoh began to lean down to grasp the Roman, who was about to accept his fate, when he felt the familiar shake of the ground. A smile creeped onto his face, and he stared defiantly up at the Egyptian.

"Oh no- this is!"

The birdmen, the pharaoh, and even Larry were startled by the entrance of the giant marble man, who broke through the glass of the giant stained window, sending shards all across the floor. The giant men around him reeled back in fear, but he, who had been expecting the giant statue, only smiled victoriously.

"What," Kahmunrah began, his condenscending tone diminishing at the sight of the marble man. "Is that thing?"

"My name is Abaraham Lincoln," The giant man-statue explained, straightening his overcoat. "And you sir, are in a heap of trouble."

"Attack it!" Ordered Kahmunrah, his tone growing just slightly panicked.

When the birdmen gave confused sqwauks at his orders, he rolled his eyes and made a screeching sound. The warriors threw their spears at the giant statue, but they deflected harmlessly off of his hardened body.

"Disguisting half pigeons!"

Octavius watched, the victorious grin still glued to his face as the statue, now known to him as Abraham Lincoln, swipped at the birdmen, sending them flying across the room to land in piles against the walls and display cases. The remaining warriors nervously cawed and began to run back through the gate.

"No no no no, do not go back into the Underworld!" Kahmunrah ordered.

Octavius, his spirits rising with the thrill of the victory that was so close to his grasp, looked up at the birdmen to shout; "Yes! Yes, do go back into the Underworld! Thank you for coming, goodnight!"

When the last of the warriors disappeared through the Gate, and it closed once again, everyone in the room stood awkwardly still. Octavius lifted his head to look up at the giant Lincoln statue, a look of gratitude and relief on his face.

Lincoln turned to look at Larry. "Well, it seems my work here is done. Remember son; a house divided against itself, cannot stand."

Larry only half nodded, clearly still a little shaken at the events that had happened in the last minute or so. As he left, the Lincoln statue gave Octavius a wink. Octavius returned the gesture with a silent salute, heartfully thankful for his help.

For just a moment, with the birdmen gone, Octavius felt a sense of victory. That false sense of victory was his gravest mistake. No sooner had Lincoln left, Kahmunrah turned his angry, arrogant gaze back onto Larry and Jedediah.

"What now?" An odd looking medieval man wearing mostly metal asked.

"Well I, I really don't know," Kahmunrah began slowly, his face expressionless. "I guess we can begin by watching him die."

Octavius felt his heart leap into his throat as the man dressed in metal gave an order to his men. As the men, fully encased in armor began to move forward, Octavius urged the squirrel closer to Larry, wanting to reach them, in case there was something, anything, he could possibly do. He reached Larry's foot when the sound of a horn bugle broke the ominous silence.

"Oh, now what?" Kahmunrah whined.

Octavius turned along with the others to see an army of exhibits standing on the opposite side of the room. Once again, a sense of hope flooded over him as he recognized a few of his friends from his own museum among them. He also noted that they were being led by the idiot from the crate, but that was only a minor detail. He knew most of those exhibits- they would fight ferociously.

"We are not going to attack!" The man, Custer, shouted from the front of the line. "Right- NOOOOOOOOOOOW!

The squirrel lurched back in fear as the two opposing sides closed in on each other, leaving Octavius locked between the two sides. He wrenched the reigns hard to the side, almost causing himself and the squirrel to fall to the side.

There was little time for him to react as he watched the hourglass fly from Larry's hands. A part of him was with Jedediah in his prison, feeling the same sense of terror as it clattered to the ground, to be kicked around the floor like a discarded can.

Octavius urged the squirrel as close to Larry as he could get it.

"Larry!" He called out, miraculously being heard above the sounds of battle. "I will help Jedediah! You go at them from behind!"

Octavius did not wait long enough to see if Larry would follow his orders. He slid off the side of the squirrel and began to run. He ran at full pelt across the expanse of tile floor, dodging the giant feet of the fighting exhibits. He stumbled many times as he ran, the ground shaking about him. A man's body fell right in front of him, forcing him to climb over his legs to reach the other side.

He finally spotted Jedediah, the hourglass in a small space where no soldiers were fighting. The cowboy was buried up to his head in sand, a look of hopelessness on his face. Octavius caught sight of him before Jedediah did.

"Jedediah!" Octavius yelled. He ran to the hourglass, pressing his full weight against it. It did not give way. "They need us!"

Jedediah breathed a sigh, shaking his head as he gasped out. "Ain' gonna make it. M'fraid this cowboy's been to his last hoedown. Octavius,"

Despite the pounding of his heart, the fear that threatened to consume him, and...and the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes, Octavius lifted his head to listen.

"Remember me as I was," Jedediah continued, swallowing hard and trying to be brave. "Wild, and free, and...and…"

Octavius swallowed the lump that was rising in his throat, lifting his eyes to scan the sheet of glass for weak points. "N-No need for final words."

"No no hold on, I wanna get to the story of our relationship."

Octavius frowned, unsure where that had come from. He had thought this was some sort of joke, but the look in his friend's eyes made it obvious that he was serious.

"O-Oh…?" Octavius leaned closer to the glass.

"The evolution from enemy to friends-"

Octavius frowned, a new wave of determination washing his fear away. "No."

Jedediah managed a weak smile, his hat falling over half his face with the downpour of sand. "It'll make you cry…"

"NO!" Octavius growled. He grasped the straps of his helmet in his fingers, wrenching it off his head. "Because you are going to live!"

Before Jedediah could say another word, Octavius gave a shout and slammed his helmet against the glass. At first, to his dismay, nothing happened. But his eyes found the small crack he had made as it spider-webbed across the glass, shattering it over him.

He felt the small shards nick his skin, but he hardly noticed as Jedediah came tumbling out in a miniature landslide, the sand giving way beneath him.

Octavius dropped down to his side, grasping his shoulders. "Jedediah, are you alright?"

Jedediah managed a smile, not answering the question. "Yah gonna help me up or what?"

Octavius' smile wavered. Despite his relief, he had been expecting a warmer reception. He shrugged and helped Jed to his feet.

"Let's go to work," Jedediah growled, able to bring back his fiery spirit now that he was free.

Octavius nodded resolutely and handed him his sword. "Have a sword." He then turned to one of the miniature Roman soldiers who had gathered around him. "Sword!"

As the two ran headfirst into the battle, Octavius could not help but wonder if his dear friend was really as okay as he seemed.


End file.
